H0481 H0481
To bind; in Niphal, to be bound (of tongue) -- hence to be dumb, mute, or silent; in Piel, to bind sheaves.
At its root, 'alam means 'to bind,' and its various stems radiate from that physical image. The Niphal -- by far the most common form -- pictures the tongue as bound: silenced, rendered mute. This is the verb behind Isaiah 53:7's haunting image of the Suffering Servant silent before his shearers, and Ezekiel's divinely imposed speechlessness (Ezek 3:26, 24:27). The Psalmist uses it for deliberate self-restraint: 'I was mute with silence' (Ps 39:2). A single Piel occurrence in Genesis 37:7 preserves the concrete root meaning -- Joseph's brothers binding sheaves in the field -- a reminder that spiritual silence and physical binding share a single Hebrew root.
1. be dumb, be silent (Niphal) — To be dumb, mute, or silent (Niphal) -- the tongue 'bound' so that speech is impossible or deliberately withheld. Spanish 'enmudecí/enmudeció' and 'estarás mudo' reflect both voluntary silence (Ps 39:2, 9) and divinely imposed muteness (Ezek 3:26). Isaiah 53:7's silent lamb before its shearers -- 'she did not open her mouth' -- became one of the most quoted Old Testament passages in the New Testament. 7×
AR["أَصْمُتْ","تَخْرَسُ","صَامِتَةٌ","صَمَتُّ","وَ-تَخْرَسُ","وَ-صَمَتُّ"]·ben["আর-তুমি-বোবা-হবে","এবং-নীরব-হলাম","নীরব-হবে-তুমি","নীরব-হয়","নীরব-হয়েছিলাম","নীরব-হলাম"]·DE["[ונאלמת]","[ונאלמתי]","[נאלמה]","[נאלמתי]","[תאלם]","ich-Krieg-stumm","ich-bin-stumm"]·EN["I-am-mute","I-was-mute","and-I-was-speechless","and-you-shall-be-mute","is-silent","was-I-silent","you-shall-be-mute-"]·FR["[ונאלמת]","[ונאלמתי]","[נאלמה]","[נאלמתי]","[תאלם]","muet"]·heb["ו-נאלמת","ו-נאלמתי","נאלמה","נאלמתי","תיאלם"]·HI["और-गूँगा-हो-गया-मैं","और-तू-गूंगा-हो-जाएगा","चुप-थी","पड़ोसियों","मैं-गूंगा-हो-गया"]·ID["bisu","dan-aku-terdiam","dan-engkau-akan-menjadi-bisu","dia-bungkam","engkau-akan-bisu"]·IT["[ונאלמת]","[ונאלמתי]","[נאלמה]","[נאלמתי]","[תאלם]","ammutoli'"]·jav["Kula-bisu","bisu","kula-bisu","lan-Panjenengan-dados-bisu","lan-kula-bisu","panjenengan-bisu-"]·KO["그리고-네가-벙어리게-될-것이다","그리고-벙어리가-되었노라","벼어리가","벼어리가-되었도다","잠잠하리라","잠잠하였느니라"]·PT["Emudeci","e-emudeci","e-ficarás-mudo","emudece","ficarás-mudo","fui-emudecido"]·RU["безмолвна","будешь-нем","был-Я-немым","и-онемеешь-ты","и-онемел-я","онемел-я"]·ES["Enmudecí","enmudeció","estarás-mudo","estuve-mudo","y-enmudecí","y-estarás-mudo"]·SW["Nilikuwa-kimya","Nimekuwa-kimya","amekuwa-kimya","bubu","kuwa-bubu","na-nikanyamaza","na-utakuwa-bubu"]·TR["Dilsiz-kaldım","dilsiz-oldum","susacaksın","suskundu","ve-dilsiz-kaldım","ve-dilsiz-olacaksın"]·urd["اور-خاموش-رہا","خاموش","خاموش-رہا","خاموش-رہا-میں","رہے-گا-گونگا-تُو","و-تو-گونگا-ہو-جائے-گا","گونگا-رہا-میں"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. be made dumb, be silenced (Niphal jussive) — To be silenced or made dumb (Niphal jussive/passive) -- a prayer that lying lips be forcibly muted. Psalm 31:18 uses the jussive 'let the lying lips be silenced' (te'alamna), with Spanish 'enmudezcan' and French 'muet' capturing the wished-for result. The passive force distinguishes this from the voluntary or prophetic silence of sense 1. 1×
AR["تَبْكَمُ"]·ben["বন্ধ-হোক"]·DE["lass-sein-silenced"]·EN["let-be-silenced"]·FR["muet"]·heb["תאלמנה"]·HI["गूँगे-हो-जाएँ"]·IT["ammutoli'"]·jav["Mugi-bisu"]·KO["벙어리가-되게-하소서"]·PT["Emudeçam"]·RU["да-онемеют"]·ES["Enmudezcan"]·SW["Na-zinyamazishwe"]·TR["Dilsiz-kalsınlar"]·urd["گونگی-ہو-جائیں"]
3. bind (Piel) — To bind, tie together (Piel) -- the concrete, physical root meaning. Genesis 37:7 describes Joseph and his brothers 'binding sheaves' (me'allmim alumim) in the field, the dreamlike scene that sets the whole Joseph narrative in motion. Spanish 'atando' and French 'liant' confirm the straightforward physical action, which stands in vivid contrast to the metaphorical 'binding' of the tongue in the Niphal. 1×
AR["نَحْزِمُونَ"]·ben["বাঁধছিলাম"]·DE["banden"]·EN["binding"]·FR["liant"]·heb["מאלמים"]·HI["बाँध-रहे-थे"]·ID["mengikat"]·IT["binding"]·jav["ngiket"]·KO["묶고-있었다"]·PT["atando"]·RU["вяжущие"]·ES["atando"]·SW["tulikuwa-tunafunga"]·TR["bağlıyorduk"]·urd["باندھ-رہے-تھے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [אָלַם] vb. bind (perhaps cf. Assyrian [alāmu], alamattu, fortress Dl in ZimBP 114 & in BD Ezek.xi; Arabic أَلِمَ be in pain, Aramaic ܐܶܠܰܡ retain anger). Niph. (be bound =) be dumb, Pf. 3 fs. נֶאֱלָמָ֑ה Is 53:7; וְנֶאֱלַמְתָּ֫ Ez 3:26, etc.; Impf. 2 ms. תֵּאָלֵם Ez 24:27; 3 fpl. תֵּאָלַמְנָה ψ 31:19.— 1. be dumb, i.e. silent ψ 39:3 נ׳ דוּמִיָּה (‖ הֶחֱשֵׁיתִי); cf. v 10 (‖ לֹא אֶפְתַּח־פִּי);…